Chapter 49: “I Have No Other Choice”
The small grayish-brown bird flapped its wings, leading the way towards Lingzhou.
They flew away from the blood-red sea of resentment and saw the last rays of the setting sun.
A crimson sky before them, boundless resentment behind.
This eerie world unsettled them.
As night fell, a bright moon rose in the sky.
Bathed in moonlight, the world was a gentle blue.
The small bird, light as the wind, seemed to chase the rising moon.
Leaving the City of the Undying, they flew eastward, carried by the moonlight, crossing mountains and rivers. As the moon reached its zenith, they saw a vast mountain range in the distance.
That was Lingzhou, Xiang Hanyu said.
It wasn’t too far from the City of the Undying, about two or three hours’ flight at their speed.
Li Yu still harbored suspicion as Xiang Hanyu led the way.
Was Yan Buqiu truly dying?
Was this bird demon’s eagerness to bring them here a ploy to buy time for the black-robed figure?
Or was Lingzhou itself a trap, and the bird demon was leading them into it?
Could the Upper Spirit Lamp and the black-robed figure be in Lingzhou?
The more she thought about it, the more suspicious she became. She turned to Mu Tao and whispered, asking about the location of the Upper Spirit Lamp.
Her voice was so low that only Mu Tao could hear.
The night was dark, the moonlight faint; she didn’t see the momentary flicker of confusion in Mu Tao’s eyes, nor the blush that crept up her ears.
Mu Tao quickly suppressed her inappropriate thoughts, lowered her gaze, and focused on the pull of the Heavenly Demon Soul Seed.
Perhaps because of the distance, the pull was faint, making it difficult to pinpoint the Lamp’s exact location.
After trying for a while, Mu Tao pointed in a direction, uncertainty in her eyes.
“Master, that pulling sensation…isn’t as clear as before,” she whispered, a hint of guilt in her voice.
Li Yu stroked her hair. “Perhaps we’re too far away, it’s fine.”
Mu Tao nodded, her hands fidgeting in her lap.
Her master had turned away again, her long, dark hair falling around Mu Tao’s knees.
She unconsciously picked up strand after strand, twirling them around her fingers.
Snow fell, brushing against the spiritual barrier, unable to touch them.
Below were scattered, flickering lights from towns and villages.
Houses, their roofs covered in snow, looked peaceful, untouched by suffering.
A mountain shrouded in a faint miasma loomed in the distance.
They flew towards the mountain, entering a bamboo forest.
Snowflakes fell through the misty miasma, landing on the tall silver bamboo stalks, the moonlight making everything seem hazy and unreal.
There was a bamboo house in the forest. The bird, having hurried back, landed anxiously.
Brown feathers and black mist swirled around it, then dissipated, revealing the bird in human form, lifting her skirt as she ran up the stone steps and into the house.
Li Yu, watching this, relaxed slightly.
This place was peaceful, with bamboo, moonlight, wind, and snow.
If the miasma was dispelled, it would be a beautiful place.
She exchanged glances with Mu Tao and was about to approach the house when Xiang Hanyu emerged, pushing a wooden wheelchair.
A woman in white sat in the wheelchair, her head tilted slightly, her eyes closed, her breathing slow and even, as if in a deep sleep.
She looked gentle, her silver hair, like Xiang Hanyu’s, tied back with a simple bamboo twig, a few strands falling around her shoulders.
Her spiritual energy was incredibly weak, almost undetectable without using spiritual awareness, barely hinting at her past as a spirit, or rather, a terrestrial immortal.
Xiang Hanyu whispered something in her ear, her voice barely audible, as if afraid to wake her.
Li Yu couldn’t hear what she said, and Yan Buqiu, so close, didn’t seem to hear either, showing no reaction.
The cold night wind blew, but she didn’t shiver or open her eyes.
She was incredibly pale, as pale as snow.
Or rather, as pale as someone devoid of color, lacking vitality.
Xiang Hanyu had been right; she was dying.
There was a small ramp beside the stone steps for the wheelchair. Xiang Hanyu pushed the woman down the ramp, snowflakes falling on them.
She didn’t use any spiritual energy for protection, just pushed Yan Buqiu to the center of the courtyard, then crouched down before her, hugging her knees.
She looked up at the unconscious woman, gently taking her cold hands, tears welling up in her eyes.
“Buqiu, I can save you now,” Xiang Hanyu whispered. “Although I did some things that might anger you, I knew what I was doing, and so did everyone else…”
“I don’t know if you can hear me, but no matter what, I will save you.” She pressed Yan Buqiu’s cold hand against her cheek. “Trust me, your spiritual root will be healed soon, and when you recover, you can scold me all you want…”
Li Yu approached and said softly, “The barrier in the City of the Undying would have fallen eventually, with or without your help. You and your clan, as long as the Upper Spirit Lamp is safely returned, haven’t committed an unforgivable sin.”
Xiang Hanyu nodded slightly, her eyes downcast, her long eyelashes fluttering, still holding Yan Buqiu’s hands.
“What do I need to do?” Li Yu couldn’t help but ask. “Just transfer my spiritual energy to her?”
Xiang Hanyu looked up at Yan Buqiu, her tear-filled eyes firm.
She stood up, placed her hands on the wheelchair’s armrests, leaned forward, and gently kissed Yan Buqiu’s forehead.
As she pulled away, a tear fell onto Yan Buqiu’s face, tracing a path down her cheek.
This sudden display of affection surprised Li Yu.
So they really were a couple!
With two other people right here, such intimacy, did they not see her as an outsider?
Li Yu watched, stunned.
Xiang Hanyu took a few steps back, looking up at the moon through the falling snow and the faint miasma, a determined look on her face.
“Exalted God, the Jie Gou’s poison has seeped into Buqiu’s soul. Please protect yourself when transferring your spiritual energy.” She walked over to Mu Tao and pulled the confused girl’s arm. “Little sister, let’s go outside.”
“Why?” Mu Tao tilted her head, puzzled.
Xiang Hanyu: “The influx of spiritual energy will temporarily agitate the poison. Your cultivation is low, it’s safer to be further away.”
Mu Tao blinked and looked at Li Yu, confused.
Li Yu: “Go with her.”
Mu Tao nodded obediently and followed Xiang Hanyu out of the courtyard.
She thought that was far enough, but Xiang Hanyu continued pulling her further away.
Behind them were tall silver bamboo stalks, their leaves heavy with snow, as if a gentle breeze could make them fall.
She seemed to hear Xiang Hanyu sigh softly.
Seeing them stop, Li Yu circulated her protective spiritual energy and gathered a soft blue light in her palm.
As she did, she quickly thought,
How much spiritual energy did she have? How much should she give Yan Buqiu? And how long would it last?
If retrieving the Upper Spirit Lamp proved difficult, or if Mu Tao’s identity was exposed because of the black-robed figure, the hidden immortal sects would surely hold Mount Chao Yao accountable.
Then she would have to stay by Mu Tao’s side and might not be able to return to fulfill her promise.
Perhaps she should give Yan Buqiu more, ensuring her survival for as long as possible without depleting herself too much.
“System, I want to give her as much spiritual energy as possible without weakening myself.” Li Yu asked inwardly. “But I’m not sure how much that is. Can you calculate it?”
【Certainly, leave it to the system!】
Li Yu was relieved.
She looked down at the peacefully sleeping woman.
It wasn’t her imagination; there was a tearstain on Yan Buqiu’s cheek.
Before Li Yu could process this, she gently pressed her palm against Yan Buqiu’s forehead.
Spiritual energy flowed into Yan Buqiu’s body.
Suddenly, lights flickered around them.
Beneath their feet, on the snow-covered ground.
The soft blue light, like a pebble dropped into a still pond, created ripples that spread outwards.
Before Li Yu could react, the lights rose from the ground, forming an unfamiliar formation.
She tried to pull away, but an invisible force held her hand in place.
No, not just her hand, her entire body was immobile.
The surrounding bamboo stalks shifted, forming another formation outside the first one.
Mu Tao gasped. “What have you done?!”
A sudden gust of wind drowned out her voice.
Snow fell from the bamboo leaves as countless bird demons, hidden among the trees, took flight, circling the formation.
Mu Tao tried to return to the courtyard but was blocked by an invisible barrier.
She grabbed Xiang Hanyu’s arm, her eyes red with anxiety. “Xiang Hanyu! What are you doing to my master?!”
“I’m sorry, I have no other choice,” Xiang Hanyu said in a low voice, her palms glowing with black mist as she restrained Mu Tao.
“Xiang Hanyu!” Mu Tao struggled. “Let go of my master! Let go of me!”
Xiang Hanyu looked at Mu Tao and said softly, “I don’t want to hurt anyone.”
As she spoke, her hands transformed into wings, and she flew up towards the formation.
Black mist swirled around her, and countless bird demons circled her, echoing the formation below.
All their demonic energy converged towards her.
Bamboo leaves and snowflakes danced in the moonlight within the formation.
Xiang Hanyu raised her wings, the black mist gathering before her.
As the mist dissipated, an icy blue lotus lamp appeared, held between her wings.
The lamp hovered in the air.
An eternal blue flame flickered on its wick.
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